Greek woman 'sets fire' to Briton's genitals

A young Greek woman, Marina Fanouraki, has become an overnight national hero
after setting fire to the genitals of Stuart Feltham, a 20-year-old Briton
who she claims tried to sexually assault her while drunk in a crowded bar.

It alleged that Stuart Feltham reveller took down his trousers and started acting obscenelyPhoto: SWNS

By Paul Anast in Athens

6:30AM BST 07 Aug 2009

Miss Fanouraki, 26, from the fiercely proud island of Crete then turned herself over to police and the courts to be put on trial for what she claimed was her "right to self-defence".

She will face a magistrate today to see whether the case will go to trial on charges of causing bodily injuries and of endangering private property. Mr Feltham, from Swindon, Wiltshire, is in a private clinic in Heraklion, the capital, being treated for second degree burns.

According to a police statement the incident occurred on Wednesday night at the Electra bar on the busy Malia coast that is dominated by young Britons.

Ms Fanouraki is said to have claimed the British reveller took down his trousers and started acting obscenely. He then "forcefully fondled" the Greek woman, who has been dubbed the "Cretan heroine" by local media.

After asking him to stop harassing her, she told police, she poured Sambuca, an aniseed liqueur, on him.

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This again allegedly failed to stop his advances, so she seized a lighter and set fire to the alcohol, local press reports said.

Sources among travel operators in Malia said his treatment was being covered by his travel insurance.

The clinic was under discreet police guard, police sources said. However, the magistrate and prosecutor unanimously agreed to set the woman free pending trial, an indication that they were prepared to entertain her argument that she had "acted in justified self-defence".

A small crowd of bystanders applauded and shouted "bravo, bravo", as she was rushed away under police escort yesterday. Legal counsel for the woman said that today's hearing may result in an immediate verdict or might postpone the verdict until a future date, depending on reported plans by the woman's lawyers to take legal action against the Briton, as soon as he has recovered from his injuries.

Mr Feltham's father, Ian, said: "He swears blind that he's never met her or seen her. He's not the kind of lad that gets himself in trouble – he's a kind-hearted, generous boy.

Mr Feltham had been holidaying in Crete for two weeks through First Choice with five friends from school when the incident happened on his last evening there.

The incident comes as an embarrassment amid the increased attempts by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office to quell the number of drink-and-sex related crimes that are plaguing European resorts dominated by British youth.

A campaign was intensified this year, with local British ambassadors in Greece, Spain and Portugal visiting trouble spots to speak with local authorities and British tour operators on means of developing co-operation to combat the problem.

George Papadakis, the news director of 'Kriti TV', the island's largest television station, said that the incident was "unfortunate because it highlights the risks of excessive drinking getting out of hand".

"We have received many calls from the public which on the one hand demonstrate that the great majority of British tourists and well behaved and most welcome", he said.

"But on the other hand there is obvious hostility towards the troublemakers, and support for the Cretan girl because they feel that she reacted in defence of her honour".